3 Secret Food Sources for When SHTF

I’m looking at what’s happening in places like Syria and Venezuela these days and I am shocked at how disaster looks for these people. Buses going into Aleppo to evacuate people amid bombing? Venezuelans having Internet but no food?

I don’t care what your prepping philosophy is, you have to admit that these two SHTF events of our time (the Venezuelan economic collapse and the war in Syria) look nothing like realty shows and even blog articles depict them. Venezuelans are reportedly eating dogs, cats and pigeons… some even stole a stallion from a zoo. I can only imagine what city dwellers in Syria eat.

This raises some concerns as to how one would find food post-collapse. Sure, it’s good to have a stockpile, but let’s leave that for some other time, because today I want to focus on the top 3 secret food sources to have when others are starving.

Of course, this doesn’t mean they won’t figure them out, but if you do a good job at prepping, hopefully you can get to them before they do.

#1. Wild Edibles

These aren’t necessarily secret, only to those who don’t know about them. They can be found in city parks as well, although looking at the state in which the Syrian city of Aleppo is in, I doubt that they’ll find one dandelion to eat. But not all SHTF events are the same, there might still be enough vegetation around your home and bug out location that you could eat, make tea or even for medicinal purposes. Look for:

dandelion greens

elderberries

chickweed

clovers

wild garlic

cattail

chicory

plantain

mullein

Of course, it would help if you went and searched for them right now. That way, when you’ll need them, you’ll know exactly where to go. This way, you’ll not only be able to mark on your map where you can find wild / urban edibles, but you can learn in advance what you can do with them.

#2. Indoor Gardens

The good news is, you can grow them even if you live in an apartment, but the problem is, they won’t yield that much food. Still, it’s something to consider. You can grow:

#3. Permaculture Gardening

Some people like to have a mini-garden inside their garage, which is why they opt for aquaponics systems. Fish and plants create a self-sustainable eco-system, but what many don’t realize is that it needs electricity in order to run. Otherwise, the fish will die and the plants will soon follow. Not to mention that this type of system needs almost care, meaning it isn’t something you can set up and forget about at your bug out location. Same with indoor plants, of course.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it, you just need to know what you’re getting yourself into.

Some preppers are homesteaders and gardeners, and they’ll rely on a traditional garden to feed them post-collapse. However, I can’t imagine how a garden would remain intact in a country like Venezuela, where people have done desperate thing in order to get food, such as looting food trucks right in front of National Guard soldiers who let them.

There is a third solution, one that’s slowly emerging in the preparedness community: permaculture gardening.

From the outside, it looks like a bunch of weeds and bushes… but once you step into it, you’re amazed to see all sorts of veggies and herbs growing inside it, including some of the wild edibles we talked about:

garlic

comfrey

horseradish

yarrow

oregano

mint

sweet potato

parsley

ginseng

…and dozens of others

The main benefits of permaculture as a way to do survival gardening are:

it works in all climates, you just need to plant the right plants

you can add backyard animals in the ecosystem to fertilize and do pest control

it needs a lot less water and watering, because the humidity is higher (thus works even when there’s a drought)

doesn’t need much digging except in the beginning

it doesn’t need much weeding because weeds are part of the ecosystem, they keep the soil moist and they provide minerals to other plants when they die off and decompose

and most of all, this type of garden is completely hidden in plain sight, making it every good option for preppers

Permaculture is not something new, it’s been around for decades. It gained attention just recently, thanks to the prepping community, who identified it as a good alternative to having a regular garden. It’s perfect for your bug out location because you plant once and then you take care of it every now and then. You don’t have to be there every day, to stick to a yearly planting schedule or even to do any crop rotation.

There are several permaculture eBooks on amazon but there’s only one course targeted at preppers. It’s called My Survival Farm and it was written by two lifetime gardeners and permaculturists and coordinated by one of the leading survival bloggers on the Internet.

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1 thought on “3 Secret Food Sources for When SHTF”

Actually, about all the edibles you list are rather worthless for survival. You need to suggest veggies that have some “density and carbs” rather than waste your time growing garlic, any herbs, any lettuce. I do have outdoor space and have 6 raised beds (4’x8′) and now grow only ‘real’ foods that are both sustaining, and storable. Yes, I have a pot of basil, but then I now concentrate on types of beans, tomatoes, raspberries, cukes, cabbage, melons, etc. I’m trying to grow parsnips and carrots, have had some luck. Also onions. Foods with some ‘bulk’, not lettuce and herbs. Salad won’t get you very far. If you think that way, there are a number of real foods that can be grown inside during the winter; that is what they should concentrate on. Otherwise, nicely put together article.

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